Jeanette Powell likely Shepparton

December 2 2002By Stathi Paxinos

Despite election night celebrations lasting into yesterday's early hours and congratulatory phone calls starting a few hours later, the National Party's Jeanette Powell will not claim victory in Shepparton until the allocation of preferences.

She said the result was too close to call although electoral pundits had proclaimed her the new MP. However, she said the result was a credit to Nationals' state leader Peter Ryan, who has worked to transform the party's standing in country Victoria.

With nearly 88 per cent of the vote counted, it appears Ms Powell will weather a strong challenge by Liberal Stephen Merrylees. But she believes the result will hang on the allocation of Labor preferences: Labor placed her above Mr Merrylees on its how-to-vote card.

Mr Merrylees attracted 9173 votes, 30.25 per cent, to Ms Powell's 8778 votes, 28.95 per cent. Labor's vote was down on the 1999 election with Alan Calder polling only 21.91 per cent.

Mr Merrylees said he would not concede the seat. The five-term Strathbogie mayor had been overlooked by most tipsters in favour of the high-profile Ms Powell and independent Chris Hazelman. It was a point he stressed yesterday when thanking supporters for taking him to the result "against all odds".");document.write("

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Ms Powell, who stood down from the upper house to contest the seat, believed that the loss of Shepparton, which the Nationals have held for 54 years, would have spelt disaster for the party. The Nationals were seen as vulnerable after the retirement of sitting member Don Kilgour and the strong showing of Mr Hazelman in 1999.

But a disappointed Mr Hazelman said he had been a victim of the Liberals' policy of standing candidates in all electorates. He said he and Ms Powell had been the only two viable winners but the Liberals' campaign had handed the seat to Ms Powell.